How to Increase Your Willpower & Tenacity | Huberman Lab Podcast

In this episode, I discuss neuroscience and psychology studies that address the basis of willpower and tenacity, how they differ from motivation and how we can all increase our levels of willpower and tenacity. I discuss whether willpower is a limited resource, the controversial “ego depletion” theory of willpower and the role that beliefs play in determining our tenacity and willpower. Then I discuss the neural basis of willpower in the brain and body and how tenacity and willpower relate to sleep, stress, focus and possibly to lifespan. Then, I provide a series of science-supported tools and protocols to increase your level of tenacity and willpower. #HubermanLab #Science #Willpower Thank you to our sponsors AG1: Maui Nui Venison: Helix Sleep: LMNT: Momentous: Social & Website Instagram: Threads: @hubermanlab Twitter: Facebook: TikTok: @hubermanlab LinkedIn: Website: Newsletter: Articles Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource?: Self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source: Willpower is more than a metaphor: Beliefs about willpower determine the impact of glucose on self-control: The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals: The Will to Persevere Induced by Electrical Stimulation of the Human Cingulate Gyrus: Aerobic Exercise Training Increases Brain Volume in Aging Humans: Stress relief as a natural resilience mechanism against depression-like behaviors: The Good, the Bad, and the Irrelevant: Neural Mechanisms of Learning Real and Hypothetical Rewards and Effort: Other Resources Dr. Roy Baumeister: Dr. Carol Dweck: Dr. Lisa Feldman Barret: Sleep Toolkit: Tools for Optimizing Sleep & Sleep-Wake Timing (Huberman Lab episode): Toolkit for Sleep (Huberman Lab Neural Network newsletter): Dr. Matthew Walker: The Science & Practice of Perfecting Your Sleep (Huberman Lab episode): Healthy Eating & Eating Disorders - Anorexia, Bulimia, Binging (Huberman Lab episode): Dr. Robert Sapolsky: Science of Stress, Testosterone & Free Will (Huberman Lab episode): Fitness Toolkit: Protocol & Tools to Optimize Physical Health (Huberman Lab episode): Timestamps 00:00:00 Tenacity & Willpower 00:01:19 Sponsors: Maui Nui & Helix Sleep 00:03:49 Tenacity & Willpower vs. Habit Execution; Apathy, Depression & Motivation 00:10:40 Ego Depletion & Willpower as a Limited Resource; Controversy 00:19:14 Tool: Autonomic Function, Tenacity & Willpower; Sleep & Stress 00:28:02 Sponsor: AG1 00:28:58 Willpower as a Limited Resource (Theory) 00:35:36 Willpower & Glucose, Brain Energetics 00:42:44 Beliefs about Willpower & Glucose; Multiple Challenges 00:52:43 Sponsor: LMNT 00:54:01 Willpower Brain ‘Hub’; Anorexia Nervosa, Super-Agers 01:07:15 Anterior Midcingulate Cortex & Brain/Body Communication 01:14:54 Allostasis, Anterior Midcingulate Cortex Function 01:25:19 Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex (aMCC), Difficult Tasks & Neuroplasticity 01:29:30 Tool: Novel Physical Exercise & Brain; Cognitive Exercise 01:43:43 Tool: “Micro-sucks”, Increase Tenacity/Willpower 01:50:58 Impossible Tasks, Super-Agers & Learning, Will to Live 01:57:23 Tool: Rewards & Improving Tenacity/Willpower 02:01:07 Tenacity & Willpower Recap 02:05:55 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - Disclaimer: